


The Chronicles of Monroeville Music Conservatory: Winter

by fairytaletears, Pastelartsu



Series: The Chronicles of Monroeville Music Conservatory [2]
Category: Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance, Panic! at the Disco
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-16
Updated: 2017-03-14
Packaged: 2018-09-24 23:19:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,635
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9791564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fairytaletears/pseuds/fairytaletears, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pastelartsu/pseuds/Pastelartsu
Summary: When Frank and Gerard fight, they don't stop to consider the Battle of the Bands coming up in a few days.





	1. I'm (Not) Okay!

It was all because of the blizzard, Frank would later bitterly remark.

It started with a lanky boy who was sprawled across his grey couch, his long limbs hanging off the itchy cushions. He absentmindedly switched on the TV, and the news was the first channel that came on. Like most teenagers, Mikey Way didn’t particularly care about the world around him but today he did. It had been heavily snowing all day, and he hoped- wished!- for a snow day. All the kids in his class had been checking the Snow Predictor all day, and as the hours creeped by, the numbers went up. 

“According to the weather department, there is going to be a massive blizzard, bigger than the one in ‘94! All schools in Monroeville will be closed until further notice.” He rolled his eyes at the sight of the news anchor’s cheesy grimace and got off the couch, the woman’s cheerful voice echoing through the room. He plodded through the hallway, until he reached the door at the end of the corridor. The slightly ajar, wooden door had a tilted sign reading “Fuck off!” and the underneath it was “Sorry mom :)”, written in sloppy handwriting.

“Gee!” Mikey hollered, not willing to step inside the pit known as his older brother’s room. He heard muttering from inside the room, but nothing definite. He mustered up the courage and timidly pushed open the door. The floor was covered in clothes, large pieces of paper with scribbles etched on it, and empty cups. He tripped on the mess at least 3 times, but managed to make it to Gerard’s bed. 

“Gerard.” He roughly shook the boy, knowing there was no way he could wake up with a light touch.  
“Alright, alright, I’m awake! What is it?” He mumbled, rubbing his eyes. 

“School’s cancelled because of the blizzard.” Mikey stated, not bothering to explain further or try to start more conversation. 

“Yes! Now we can all chill out and play video games!” A voice cheered under the covers, and up popped Frank Iero’s sleepy yet cheerful face.

“Frank? Did you two…?” Mikey nervously looked at them both, his face starting to burn and become a violent shade of red. Frank was his best friend, and Gerard was his older brother. He didn’t even want to think about the possibility of them doing anything sexual. 

“Mikey, no! We were just hanging out and fell asleep, ok?” Gerard calmly reassured his frantic brother, who was now concentrating his attention on the ceiling. 

“Really, Mikey. It was nothing.” And it was nothing, unfortunately. The two teens had been reading comics well into the night, but had accidentally fallen asleep. 

Frank looked at the pile of comics on the floor and fondly thought about the events that had taken place last night.  
\-----  
Frank glanced over at the digital clock on his desk, causing him to curse loudly when he looked at his phone and realized the time.

“Shit! My mom’s gonna kill me for coming home this late. I’ll probably get drug tested or something, knowing her.” 11:50 PM glowed on the screen, and when he checked his missed calls, he wasn’t surprised to find out that he had ten from his mother.

“So then sleep over.” He suggested, oblivious to Frank’s shocked look. “What?” 

“My mom is freaking out right now, so there’s no way she’s gonna let me out.” The dark haired boy started to slide off the large bed, pushing the royal blue comforters away from him.

A loud sound erupted out of Frank’s pocket. He quickly pulled it out of the pocket of his jeans, and held it to his ear. “Hello? Listen, I’m sorry for scaring you, but I fell asleep at Gerard’s house. Okay,-wait what? No, don’t do that!” He continued talking to his mother, and combined with his expressive hand movements and facial expressions, it was always entertaining when Frank argued with his mother.

“Okay, bye!” He finally hung up after a long lecture about how a mother’s love could only go so far. 

“Teen Titans is on in five minutes, you wanna watch it?” Mikey asked, knowing his brother could never say no to animated cartoons meant for children under 10.

“Not now, we have to do some homework for Mr. Hoppus’s class.” Gerard speedily said, just as Frank shot him a confused glance. What was he talking about? There was nothing due, as Mr. Hoppus believed in “alternative” methods of teaching, which included no work at home. 

“We have to finish our stupid Malala project.” He elaborated, trying to look as calm as possible. Although he had no idea what Gee was talking about, he would always defend him. If MIkey was even a little bit suspicious that they weren’t slaving away over textbooks, he would grill Frank until he confessed.

Mikey cocked an eyebrow knowingly, but said nothing and silently exited the cluttered room. 

“What the hell was that about?” Frank nervously laughed. 

“I know you have to tell me something.” Gerard stated, looking directly into his eyes like he knew exactly what was going on; it made Frank quite uncomfortable. Well, Gerard wasn’t wrong. Frank did have something to say, something that was on his mind for months. Every time he wanted to finally confess, he would either become paralyzed with fear or someone, usually Mikey, would come bursting in.

What if Gee didn’t like him anymore or thought he was crazy? Frank doubted that he even had a chance with the raven-haired boy, so he stayed content with friendship. But if he revealed his secret, the closeness they had might dissolve, the small chance he could possibly have of being more than just friends would fizzle out .

“You’re right, Gee. I…..I…” He took a deep breath, determined to get the words out.

“I’ve been seeing a therapist for a little while.” Gerard said nothing, but his hazel eyes were shining with emotions Frank couldn’t name. 

“And I got a diagnosis of why I’ve been feeling the way I have. Why everything seems dark sometimes, why I sometimes don’t feel the best about myself, or why I always question you about everything. I have depression- clinical depression, to be exact, and anxiety.”

“Thanks for telling me, and just know I would never think of you any differently.” He carefully said, not wanting to overstep his boundaries. 

Frank’s hazel eyes widened in shock as those simple words he had been hoping to hear were said. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing, and he was so happy that he wasn’t being rejected.

“I…..” Without finishing his sentence, he wrapped his arms around Her, trying his best not to literally cry on his shoulders. That would be too embarrassing. 

“If you ever need someone to talk to, you know I’m here for you, right?” Gerard gently squeezed the other boy’s small hand.

“Thanks, Gee.” He smiled, beginning to feel comforted with the fact that no matter what, his best friend would always be there for him. 

A loud noise startled Frank, abruptly startling him out of his recollection. He recognized the annoying chirp almost instantly as his phone ringtone and his black, skeleton gloves almost getting caught on the silver chain hanging near his pocket, as he swiftly pulled his phone out. 

“Hello…?” He sighed, clearly whoever it was irritated him endlessly. Gerard and Mikey didn’t dare make a move, seeing that the conversation was getting intense.

“Mom! This is the second time you’ve called me in an hour! Do I really have to go now? I’m having a good time….. We just had this argument ten minutes ago! Homework? What? No, I don’t need that in life!” The protests coming out of the brunette’s mouth was futile, Mrs. Iero did not play games.

With a deep sigh, he hung up and rolled his eyes, covered in the ever present red eyeshadow he wore. “Sorry guys, I gotta go. Like now.” He swung his backpack over his shoulder, about to leave, but paused.

“I’ll text you guys later, see ya Monday!” Privately, Frank thought to himself that he would only be texting Gerard. Not that he didn’t like his brother, but Mikey’s silence didn’t translate well over text.  
\---------------------------  
In the Way household, the television was always on- even if nobody was watching. The two brothers sat side by side in the darkened room, the only flicker of lights coming from the small screen.

“Hey, Mikey? Can I talk to you about something?” Gerard inquired.

“Okay.” He mumbled, his eyes still locked on the television battle between monsters and humans. 

“It’s about Frank. He has some problems right now, and I don’t know how to help him.” The older brother admitted, not wanting to say too much. Frank despised talking about his feelings, so this was a huge step for him. But he probably needed some type of help, and Gerard wasn’t sure how to do that. 

“What sort of problems?” Mikey asked, turning down the volume so the only thing one that could be heard was the heavy falling of snow.

“Anxiety and depression. It’s not a big deal, but, what if he needs serious help?” Mikey was quiet for a minute, trying to process what he had been told. His brows knit together as he registered the severity of the situation. 

“You mean doctors and pills, and stuff like that.” He concluded, looking down at his long, bony fingernails. “I think you should ask Frank.”

“ He really opened up to me, and I don’t wanna push him into telling me.” Gerard decided with a matter of fact attitude, burrowing into his large, navy hoodie.

“Talk to Frank about it.” Mikey adjusted his glasses, which had fallen down the bridge of his pointed nose. 

The two brothers settled into the worn couch, determined to enjoy their day off with each other.


	2. I Don't Love You Like I Did

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When something special is demolished, the whole world feels it.

Mikey trudged through the congested, narrow hallway towards the large row of lockers on the left. The younger Way brother started to twist and turn the combination lock, groaning in frustration when the lock wouldn’t budge. 

“Hey, dude!”At 7:55 AM every morning, a small man wearing a ridiculous amount of eyeliner popped up from behind him. 

“Hi, Pete.” He quietly mumbled, not one for small talk. Just like clockwork, Pete automatically banged on the worn locker, which gave in to the minimal effort and opened. Although the smaller of the boys wasn’t the strongest person at Monroeville Music Conservatory, just about everyone was stronger than Mikey. 

“How was your snow day, man?” He peered up at him with adoration, which was kind of cute, but also kind of creepy. 

“Fine. Wanna come over later and watch Scream?” He answered back, shrugging off his grey peacock and slammed the door shut, leaving the lock undone. He hated talking to anyone at school, preferring to be a lone wolf and do his work without getting distracted. That way, he had more time to play video games without the constant knowledge there was homework waiting. Thankfully, Pete understood that, and so the boys constantly hung out after school rather than in school. 

“Sure! That would be so much fun!” He ran a hand through his perfectly straightened fringe, fixing it so that it partially covered one eye. 

“How do you fix a depressed person?” The taller one randomly blurted out, blushing when Pete looked at him with concern. It was glaringly obvious to everyone that he tried not to get too attached to people (including their personal lives) so being worried about someone was a rare occasion for Mikey. 

“You can’t really fix someone, bro. But if someone is in danger, you gotta tell someone else so they can help.” He honestly contributed. “Dude, are you… okay?” 

“Yeah, I’m fine, but I was asking for a friend, honestly!” He exclaimed, his dark eyes widening when he realized what Pete thought.

“Nice try, but don’t worry. I’m gonna help you!” He suddenly decided, clapping his hands together. As soon as he had uttered those lines, he knew Pete wouldn’t stop harrassing him until he admitted who it was.

“It’s not for me, it’s for Frank!” He desperately exclaimed.  
“Frank as in Frank Iero? He’s depressed? He’s the happiest guy ever! He’s so cute, like a little puppy or something!” He loudly protested. Immediately, the hallway gradually became quieter and quieter, and all the students standing in the hallway started to pull out their sidekicks and stare at the two of them. The whispers started to build, and the lanky teen realized he had made a huge mistake. 

“Pete, shut up. You better not tell a soul.” He hissed to his oblivious friend, turning on his heel and stomping away while the whole school watched him.  
\-------------------------------------------  
Frank knew something was wrong when people started talking to him. Normally he was left to walk the hallways alone, with only his earbuds to distract him from the loud chatter of his peers. His friends had different classes then him, and the congestion of the school made it hard to meet up anywhere. 

On Tuesday, after the snow day, Frank was walking to his Forensics class. He was listening to the Smashing Pumpkins, intently focused on the lyrics of A Bullet with Butterfly Wings, when he felt a quick tap on his arm.

“Excuse me?” He looked up to see a girl looming above him, probably because of the black platforms she had on.

He reluctantly took an earbud out, refusing to stop the song for a conversation that was less important than the whiny voice of Billy Corgan.

“Are you….” She touched her dark pigtails with her hands nervously, smoothing the already straight hair down. “Okay?”

Frank nearly stopped in his tracks. Of course he was okay. Being in school wasn’t the best thing in the world, even washing dishes or writing an essay would be better, but he wasn’t feeling terribly down. He barely knew her; he only recognized her face because she was one half of the punk lesbian couple who walked around school wearing plaid miniskirts and scaring the shit out of faculty and students alike. 

After a prolonged silence he finally spoke. “”Listen, Lyn-Z, I’m fine.”

Lyn-Z tilted her head slightly like a confused puppy, her brown eyes widening in confusion. “Really? Because I heard from Kitty…..”

“Lyn-Z, what did you hear from Kitty?” He forced his voice to remain calm. Whatever information she had was from her girlfriend, another person who had no idea who he was, which meant that it was probably another rumor. How many bags of cocaine did he snort off of Patrick Stump’s guitar this time? Last time he heard, he did three.

“You’re like super depressed and suicidal.” Lyn-Z stated.

“Oh. Well uh…. That’s not true, but thanks for caring.” Frank walked away from her as fast he could without running. His face was hot from embarrassment, and the realization that the whole school knew his secret. 

Gerard. Gerard was the only one he told, which meant that his best friend had told something deeply personal without even a thought of Frank’s feelings. For once, he wasn’t sure where Gerard could be, even though he had memorized his schedule months ago. 

When the last bell rang, signaling the end of the hellishly long day, he ran to the entrance of the school building, waiting for his target. Gerard came waltzing out of school like nothing was wrong, happily balancing a large sketchbook under his arm. 

“Hey Gee! Wanna hear about the weirdest thing today?” He smiled sweetly at his friend, dread settling at the pit of his stomach.

“Okay, sure!” He slowed down to wait for Frank’s legs to catch up to his slightly longer ones, wrapping his maroon scarf tightly against his neck.

“So, Lyn-Z came up to me today, and asked me if I was okay. And I was like, yeah? And she was like oh well Kitty told me something. I don’t think I’ve ever talked to any of them in my life so I was totally confused. And apparently that something is that I’m depressed. The weirdest thing about this is who told Kitty, because I’ve only ever told you that!” Frank looked at Gerard, waiting for an explanation. Surely it wasn’t him. 

“Frank, I have no idea what you’re talking about. I didn’t tell any of those satanic cult members! In fact, I haven’t mentioned it outside of my house!” Gerard firmly retorted. 

Frank softened at the look on the redhead’s face. He knew that Gerard would never do anything like that to him. But he still had to ask one last question, just to make sure that the person who meant the most to him in the world wasn’t guilty of this crime.

“Did you tell anyone?” His voice was cracking 

Gerard looked at the remnants of dirty snow on the ground, trying to wrack his brain for information. He didn’t want to lie to Frank, but did Mikey count?   
“I mean, I told Mikey… but only because I was worried about you! Come on, you know he wouldn’t tell anyone!” He confessed. 

“I…… I trusted you.” The words fell out of his mouth too easily. “Why would you do that without telling me? I’m not mad you told him, I’m mad that you told him without asking me, because I know that he’s friends with all kinds of people, like that loudmouth, Pete!” His voice rose as his anger grew. 

“ I’m so, so sorry, okay? If I knew he was gonna tell Pete, I wouldn’t have said anything!” Tears started to slip out of his eyes, forming warm tear tracks on his pale complexion. He couldn’t lose his best friend over this stupid misunderstanding. No, he wouldn’t lose Frank! He would understand his point, and in a few days this would all blow over.

“I just don’t think everything will be the same after this. I think maybe we should take some time to really decide what our friendship means. Rather, you. Because I know what our friendship means to me, you’ve told me plenty of things, and they’re going to the grave.”

“But what about the battle of the bands? We need My Chem together!” Gerard begged. He would rather lose the battle and have Frank be his friend. But hopefully Frank would try to be friends with him since My Chemical Romance was like their child. With four fathers. Nope, that sounds wrong, so probably four uncles. Okay, that’s better.

A deep sigh escaped Frank’s lips. He hadn’t considered the biggest event in the school for the upper classmen. My Chemical Romance meant everything to him. Guitar and Gerard were the two things his world revolved around, but he couldn’t imagine being angry at Gee when they were making music together.   
“I guess we’ll have to join different bands. The band can’t exist without every member.” He didn’t want to speak to him, that’s how angry he was. 

“Frank, are you kidding me right now? You’re being so selfish by throwing away our hard work, our demos, everything! You’re making a huge mistake!” He screamed, the hurt and anger starting to show. Normally,he was a calm and collected person, but this was too much for him to handle. 

“You should have thought about that before you betrayed me. You hurt me, Gee, and the band’s all you care about? No, you made a mistake, because I lo- I would do anything for you. “ Frank couldn’t allow himself to say what he had really been holding back for years. 

“Fuck this! I’m not gonna try and argue with you, man. I know I’m right, and if you can’t see my side, then I don’t need you.” Gerard sneered with a slow shake of his head, before stalking away,


	3. Cemetery Drive

“Mikey!” Gerard yelled, angrily slamming the wooden door shut. He marched over to the olive green couch, where his target was sitting hunched over a textbook. 

“What?” Mikey took an earbud out of his ear, the irritated tone in his voice evidently present. 

“You told Pete.” He began, watching as his face change from confused to upset.

“Let me explain! I told him because I was worried-.” The younger one started, but was swiftly cut off by his brother.

“ Save the bullshit. Thanks to you, me and Frank aren’t friends, and so MCR is over. ” Before he could get a word out, Gerard stormed to his room and plopped his backpack on the ground. He shoved plastic bottles and candy wrappers out of his way before sitting down on the fuzzy, carpeted ground in disbelief. 

He tried to think of what to do next, but there were so many thoughts swimming through his mind. Battle Of the Bands should probably be dealt with first, since it would be the easiest thing. He couldn’t even think about Frank right now. But who wouldn’t want him in their band? He confidently laughed out loud, knowing that two junior year bands would kill for a talented senior like himself. Normally, he wasn’t so cocky about his talent, but he couldn’t deny that he was good. He sent a short message to the frontman of Panic! At the Disco, who was a huge fan of My Chemical Romance. There was no doubt in his mind that Brendon would say yes. 

Gerard: hey so i was wondering if i could join u for the battle of the bands  
Brendon: dude your band is legendary! Of course but why  
Gerard: bc my band just split up and i love panic!  
Brendon: omg what nooo !!! wed love to have u first band practice is tomorrow @ 5 @ ryans. You know where it is?  
Gerard: yep youve told me so many time over AIM so i wouldnt forget! k c you then

He finished composing the text and sighed, throwing his phone face down on the white carpet. He couldn’t even look at his phone without the overwhelming urge to text Frank anything. Gerard wasn’t really sure what he even wanted to say. He knew it was so so selfish, but he hoped Frank was feeling just as confused and outraged as he did.

\---  
The next day was a long one for Frank. School seemed to go on forever without Gerard, even though Ray was there for him, and tried to cheer him up the best he could, nothing worked. He missed the meaningful looks they gave each other when preps said something stupid, their inside jokes, and meeting at Gee’s locker. His thoughts wandered to their fight at least a million times. Maybe he should apologize, but he didn’t do anything wrong in the situation. 

“Aw, come on Frank. You’re being so grumpy! Cheer up, I made some new bread, it’s pumpernickel!” Ray’s words snapped him out of the dark cloud he was in and he slowly drifted back to reality. He let out a sigh, all of his misery escaping in a single breath. The brunette was about to reminisce more, willingly putting himself through torture, however, a single text message on his screen prevented that from happening. He was wanted in a band, and music was his everything. Sure, his crush/best friend/evil snake would break his heart in two, but his faithful guitar, Pansy, would never leave him. 

Pete: hey dude so excited to have you in fob! You can come to mine after school if thats okay.  
Frank: yeah thats cool but i need ur address  
Pete: 124 Clandestine Road  
Frank: thanks, see you soon

“ I gotta go to the Fall Out Boy band practice.” He slung his black backpack over his shoulder and walked away from his friend, not even bothering to look over his shoulder. Frank truly loved Ray in the most platonic way possible, but his afroed friend annoyed the living hell out of him sometimes. He left the school, taking each cement step two at a time, involuntarily shivering as the cold December air hit him. He hadn’t bothered to get his coat from his locker, preferring to leave quickly to avoid seeing Gerard. He tried to get past the group of kids waiting outside the school building, but there were so many of them hanging around it was impossible to move. It’s not like he was trying to look for Gerard, but he managed to hear his ex friends voice ring through the throng of sweaty students. 

“Thanks for letting me in the band, Ryan!” The familiar voice sounded thrilled and not at all like he was missing Frank. Frank felt a pit of anxiety form in his stomach and knew he had to get out of there immediately. He roughly pushed past people, ignoring their complaints and yells and breathed a sigh of relief when he approached the abandoned sidewalk, his thoughts gradually clearing up. He knew the way to Clandestine Road like the back of his hand, since that’s where all the epic parties were held. He had been to Pete’s house a number of times, and as he was walking through the familiar area, his mind began to wander back to what had happened at school. How could Gerard just abandon them like that? He’d become an honorary member of Panic! At The Disco just because Brendon wanted to suck his dick. How typical of his old friend to be so desperate for attention, he had run to a newbie band with barely any followers. At least Fall out Boy was an established band with a loyal fanbase! At the very least, he should have had some integrity and made his own music instead of jumping onto whoever, or whatever, in this case, wanted him. He shook his head, realizing just how bitter he was becoming and placed his headphones on, the music lifting his spirits up. By the time he had reached the large, imposing Wentz household, he felt calm and ready to take on the world

“Hey, Frank! You made it here okay!” Someone ran up to Frank, his black fedora jauntily astride his blonde head. It touched Frank that Patrick wanted him around, along with the fact that Patrick was the only person shorter than himself, his sunny disposition was infectious, making it hard to be upset for too long. 

“Of course I did, dude. I’ve been to so many of Pete’s epic parties not to know my way around!” He tried not to giggle at remembering the homoerotic encounters he saw there. Pete definitely loved his gays, and his gays, meaning Patrick and Mikey, were in love with him too. A slight blush appeared on Patrick’s face, because he knew they were both thinking about the time Brendon and Ryan encountered a milk carton.

“The guys are inside if you want, we’re just setting up. I brought some cookies too! Oh, and I also have an Honorary Member Of Fall Out Boy pin!” He delicately applied the pin to Frank’s black shirt with soft, white, fingers. Among the pins and patches, the rainbow pin with I <3 Pete on it stood out among the blackness of his shirt.

“Let’s go upstairs and get jamming!” He gestured to Frank to follow him up the short flight of carpeted stairs and held the door open for him.

“So, where are we practicing?” The honorary FOB member, aka Frank, asked as they began to climb the second level of the large house. 

“In Pete’s band room. They renovated a room for his 16th birthday, and bought him a bunch of instruments for the band. Isn’t that so nice of Pete to think about us?” Patrick fondly smiled, looking down at his shiny black loafers. Frank grimaced slightly but said nothing, not wanting to accidentally offend him with his classic Iero sarcasm. The pair made it up the stairs and headed to the first door on the right.

“Guys, our new member is here!” Patrick pushed open the doors as if they were gates to heaven, revealing four boys and a multitude of instruments.

“Hey, Frank! What’s up, little dude?” Pete strolled over to Frank and patted him in the back, making Frank gasp a bit. “Let’s get started!” A redhead and a guy with a mass of black curls silently nodded at him and moved towards their respective instruments. He noticed Mikey in the corner of the room fiddling with his bass but wasn’t surprised. After all, Pete was practically in love with him, so of course he would offer him a place in his band.

“What song are we playing?” Pete turned to Patrick, who was oddly the leader of this band, considering his delicate appearance. Patrick looked at the ceiling for a moment, deep in thought, before saying “Dead on Arrival.” They seemed so serious about their decision, making him feel as though he wasn’t as passionate. Usually, in My Chemical Romance, between hits of the bong and mouthfuls of assorted pills, a song name was mumbled out by one of the members who wasn’t too high. Despite not being in the band, Frank knew this song quite well, since anyone who was in the Jersey pop punk music scene knew Fall Out Boy’s songs off their first EP by heart. 

Pete started to strum on his bass, his fringe moving as he nodded his head to the beat of the music. With a deep inhale, Patrick sung the first part of the song, letting all of his seemingly deep emotions out. ”I hope this is the last time, cause I’d never say no to you, this conversation’s been dead on arrival…”

Andy angrily tapped on the drums, never missing a beat and Joe… well, that guy was fucking awesome. He perfectly executed the notes, even making the difficult transition from the A cord to the D cord. Frank could hardly keep up with them, by the third song he was sweating and cursing every time his sweaty fingers missed a chord, much to Patrick’s chagrin.

“Frank, you’re the bestest. You really are. But here in Fall Out Boy, we try to keep our meetings G rated. I know Pete can be a bit wild at times, and I’m working with him on that. You’re the new guy here, and you are so loved and accepted by all of us…. However, you are kinda sorta on a probation.”When he saw Frank’s eyebrows raise in protest, his voice quickened. “Listen, don’t worry about that. Just go out there and do your Fall Out Best!” 

The group somberly nodded, with the exclusion of Mikey- who was hastily chasing something down with water. Some things never changed, including the members of My Chem’s love of illicit prescription medication.

“Maybe we should try again tomorrow?” Andy suggested, and reached for a organic, hemp hairband on his thin wrists. 

“That’s a great idea. We don’t want Frank over here, to get home too late.” The lead singer gestured to the boy behind him, who vigorously nodded, despite the fact that his house was two blocks away and the sun was still shining brightly. He could not stand another moment without drugs, or cursing, or JOKES! 

“Alright man, nice practice today!” Pete grinned, his perfect white teeth glistening brilliantly. Ah, so now he realized why the girls at school had a fan club dedicated to this perfect, dreamboat of a man. Frank ran to the front door at a speed that even an Olympic runner couldn’t match, when he got stopped by Joe.

“Wait, man. You forgot your backpack!” He smiled dopily at Frank. God, too many smiles. He mumbled something in response and quickly walked away from the mansion until he could no longer feel the worried stares of Patrick burning into his soul. For the first time in months, even music couldn’t help him process this confusing day. The members of his new band were great- but the band practice, though? So boring, so miserable, so devoid of fun. There wasn’t even swearing aloud, and made him feel so utterly uninspired. It only increased the wish that they were back in the Way garage, making snacks and abortion jokes. He wondered what Gerard was doing. Probably fucking Brendon, with his seductive puppy dog eyes and big, pouty lips! He had probably even manipulated poor Ryan into watching that disgusting act. Little did he know, that was the furthest thing from the truth.

Gerard rolled his eyes as he sat on the pink rug with Disney characters plastered all over it. He attempted to look over the words on the many piece of paper in front of them, but he knew he couldn’t, Why did he agree to come to Brendons house in the first place? The first day of any band practice is a disaster, but this place would make his singing even worse.

“Gerard, we’re gonna be ready soon, don’t you worry!” Brendon looked up from the embrace of his boyfriend, making Gerard feel he like was about to throw up. He and Ryan had been passionately making out for the last hour, and with Spencer and Jon nowhere to be seen, he was stuck listening to them calling each other pet names and cooing at each other.

“What song are we doing?” On the outside he tried to maintain his usual flamboyant attitude, on the inside he was miserable. He hated this stuffy environment, he didn’t like the music he was singing at all, and to make matters worse, Brendon and Ryan reminded him of what Frank and him could have been, minus the weird poetry Ryan wrote.  
They both ignored him and started to get more intense, out of the corner of his eye he thought he saw saw Brendon firmly placing a hand down Ryan’s pants.

“You are the moon and sun to me, my love, you are everything I have ever wanted. Not only are you the angel upon my head, but you are the devil perched on my shoulder….” As soon as Ryan finished his speech mid makeout, Brendon let out a throaty moan.

“Babe, you know how horny your speeches make me. You did that on purpose!” He playfully pouted, knowing that no man could resist the Urie Pout of Power.Ryan smirked,then looked over at Gerard, just realizing he was sitting there the entire time.

“Hey, Gerry…. Uhhhh…. Whatever your name is……. Maybe you should go home. Unless you’re into watching.” 

“NOO! Don’t go home, we’ll get started right away!” Brendon leaped off the bed, running out of the room to search for the other members. Gerard knew that the frontman loved his band and would be more heartbroken than when he found out that the tooth fairy wasn’t real. Ryan frowned at Gerard for denying him the sweet pleasures of life, which Gee found hilarious.

“Sorry. I know I broke the bro code or whatever, but it doesn’t apply to us emos.” Gerard shrugged unapologetically and started to leaf through the paper Brendon had given him when he arrived. It listed all of the songs they had with the lyrics on it, so he wouldn’t look like a total idiot when singing.

Ryan sighed with annoyance, then slunk into a dark corner of the cheerful room, where he would most likely remain for the rest of practice.“Alright, we’re ready now!” Brendon eagerly dragged the remaining members of Panic! Into the room, whom looked like they would rather be anywhere else. “So what songs do you wanna try, Gerard?”

“Uh… maybe time to dance?” He hesitantly looked around the room for confirmation, but felt his heart sink when he saw Ryan gazing at Brendon’s butt with pure admiration and lust. These idiots don’t take anything seriously. Spencer started playing the drums, occasionally hitting the cymbals just as Jon’s bass part kicked in.

“Well, she’s not bleeding on the ballroom floor, just for the attention.” He began, his low whiny voice a contrast to Brendon’s high background notes. Spencer visibly winced, and it made Gerard question himself for a minute. You know what, who is this chubby nerd to question his voice? That stupid drummer can’t even sing! He continued the song, but it all blurred by. By the end, his throat hurt from trying to sing falsetto and his ego bruised from all the weird songs. 

“What the fuck, Gerard? I thought you could sing.” Ryan snapped as soon as the song had ended, making the whole room go silent. He really wished he would have left, or even watched the pair, because it would be way less awkward and tense than the current atmosphere.

“I can, haven’t you seen my band? Maybe that song is just ridiculously stupid. Only a little fucking girl in puberty could sing this!” He retorted, his hazel eyes narrowing. 

“Hey, don’t insult my boyfriend, you asshole!” Ryan’s face came dangerously close to Gerard’s. 

“You know what, you’re right. Brendon is perfect. It’s the pretentious lyrics that hurt this song.  
Maybe if you weren’t in the band, they could actually get somewhere.” He knew his words had seriously injured Ryan’s delicate little ego, so why not try to dig a little more! He was pissed, tired, and so done- in need of a serious outlet.

“Oh, fuck you! You wish you had my musical depth, instead, you just have bullshit that doesn’t even mean anything in your songs.” He screamed. The room remained quiet, even his own boyfriend didn’t dare say a single word to try and stop the enraged teenager.

“At least I’m not a horrible boyfriend! I would never hold mine back from being motherfucking famous! Plus, every boy in school wants him. Why should your lame, hipster ass get him? He’s not really my type, but you should just let him be happy.” Gerard coldly mentioned, all trace of his normal self gone. 

“You know what? At least I have an actual boyfriend, and I don’t treat him like shit and tell his business to the fucking world. Frank would be ashamed of you.” When he heard that name being spoken, a rage like no other started to take over. Fucking Ross KNEW what had happened and still had the nerve to say his name. He angrily curled his hand in a fist, and without even thinking, delivered the blow straight into Ryan’s straight, narrow nose. 

“Ryan!” Brendon ran over and started fretting after him. “Are you okay? Do you need some water?” Gerard’s lip curled in disgust at their stupid display of affection. Brendon was clearly just as stupid as he acted, since his boyfriend was fine. There was no sign of a fight; no scratches or blood adorned his face.

“I’m fine, Bren.” He weakly managed to say from the floor.

“You need to leave.” Brendon’s usually bubbly personality was subdued, instead, there was a harsh look in his eyes. Gerard didn’t even try to argue with him, but simply grabbed his coat and scarf from the small closet in the entrance room. Spencer and Jon followed him downstairs, slamming the door in Brendon’s face. As they walked away from the door, he faintly heard them talking about the incident.

“What an asshole! Bren and Ry are my OTP for life!”  
“Dude, let’s just be glad he left.”

Just great… he had ruined all his relationships and had no band. What he was supposed to do now, suck up to Mr. Hoppus and read books all the time like Ryan? He snickered at the mental image of Ryan massaging Hoppus’s feet and fanning the aging teacher. Whatever! He was gonna find a way to fix this shit. He began the long walk to his house, watching the sun set as he marched home to the beat of Green Day


End file.
